Beam steering techniques for external antenna configurations

ABSTRACT

A beam steering antenna system for external antenna configurations for fixed and mobile communication devices is described where one or multiple beam steering antennas are integrated into a single external enclosure and where multiple enclosures containing beam steering antennas are used with a single communication device. Where multiple external enclosures are used with a single communication system such as a WLAN access point the beam steering antenna system provides an electrical means of optimizing antenna system and communication link performance as compared to mechanical means such as antenna enclosure positioning or orientation. Radiation mode selection for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz antennas integrated into an external enclosure on a WLAN access point allows for independent optimization of the antenna systems for the two frequency bands without requiring antenna movement or positioning. If the antenna enclosures are movable or capable of rotation the beam steering antennas can be optimized for enclosure orientation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of priority with U.S. Provisional Ser.No. 62/219,937, filed Sep. 17, 2015; the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the field of wireless communication;and more particularly, to a beam steering antenna system and algorithmconfigured for external mounting functionality for use in a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) or cellular communication network.

Description of the Related Art

Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are common and present in buildingssuch as homes and businesses and in larger venues to include shoppingcenters, hospitals, airports, and outdoor settings. The performance andcomplexity of WLAN systems has continued to improve and increase, withthis increase documented in industry standards IEE 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11a, 802.11n, and more recently 802.11ac. With each successivestandard the performance of the WLAN systems has improved and thecomplexity, such as the introduction of multi-input multi-output (MIMO)for the antenna system, has increased. Implementation of MIMO systems incommunication networks requires that multiple antennas be used on one orboth ends of the communication link (i.e.: transmit, and receive).Though antennas have been designed within commercial communicationdevices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, and access points forquite some time (internal antennas), it is still common to designexternal antennas for the one or more antennas required for use in WLANsystems, such as an access point or “router”, typically used in home andoffice buildings. The external antenna(s) can provide a more symmetricalradiation pattern and a radiation pattern that has a wider field of viewaround the device that the antenna is integrated within, especially whencompared to an internal antenna. Better antenna efficiency can often beobtained from the external antenna due to greater separation distancebetween the antenna and the communication device. The external antennacan also be designed such that the antenna orientation or position canbe changed by the end user to accommodate a specific location or deviceorientation. The external antenna(s) can also be positioned in anattempt to improve system level performance, such as throughput orcommunication range, but this can be a trial and error investigationthat can be time consuming and difficult to perform. For consumer accesspoints designed for use in homes the typical consumer that installs theaccess point in-home is not skilled or educated to the extent to have anunderstanding as to the effects of reflections and multi-pathinterferences encountered in building at radiofrequency (RF)frequencies, or how an antenna system can be altered, or adjusted, toimprove throughput and connectivity.

Though external antennas can provide improved radiation pattern coverageas well as improved efficiency compared to volume limited internalantennas, the inability of an end-user to easily optimize or select thecorrect position or rotation angle of a movable external antenna remainsa limitation. System level performance characterized by parameters suchas data throughput and communication range are affected by theperformance of single-input single-output (SISO) and multi-inputmulti-output (MIMO) antenna systems. When external antennas areimplemented in a WLAN access point, the capability of moving theexternal antennas is provided to assist in improving the robustness ofthe access point as it is placed in a wide variety of rooms, buildings,and multi-path scenarios. Though passive antennas can be designed intoan access point in an external configuration, such that the passiveantennas can be adjusted in angle and/or separation between antennas,there is no easy method for the lay person to quickly determine optimalantenna positioning for the specific home or building that is beingserviced by the access point. Measurements can be taken using a laptopor smartphone that is enabled with a Wi-Fi system and ability to connectto the access point, and throughput can be monitored at multiplelocations, but this can be a time consuming process and can be above thecapabilities of the typical consumer. Also with a changing environmentsuch as furniture being moved, moving of the access point, or thefrequency channel of operation being changed, the process of determiningcorrect antenna positioning needs to be periodically repeated foroptimal Wi-Fi system performance. There is a need for a better method ofexternal antenna positioning and optimization.

Current and future WLAN access points, and client communication devices,will require higher performance from the antenna systems to improvesystem capacity and increase data rates. As new generations of handsets,gateways, and other wireless communication devices become embedded withmore applications, and the need for bandwidth becomes greater, newantenna systems will be required to optimize link quality. The consumercommunication industry is moving to higher orders of MIMO systems, withfour by four MIMO systems now being designed into access points andvideo streaming devices for in-home connectivity. A four by four MIMOsystem requires a four antenna system designed into the access point orvideo streaming device, such that when external antennas areimplemented, four separate antenna assemblies are required. As moreexternal antennas are added to consumer devices, the overall device sizegrows, and starts to negatively impact the industrial design andaesthetics. Since antenna isolation needs to be maintained for propersystem performance antenna separation requirements limit the ability tospace antennas closer in an attempt to shrink the device size.

Commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,240,634; 8,648,755; 8,362,962; and7,911,402, each describe a beam steering technique wherein a singleantenna is capable of generating multiple radiating modes; the contentsof each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This beam steeringtechnique is effectuated with the use of offset parasitic elements thatalter the current distribution on the driven antenna as the reactiveload on the parasitic is varied. This technique, where multiple modesare generated, is a “modal antenna technique”, and an antenna configuredto alter radiating modes in this fashion has been referred to as a“modal antenna”. This antenna architecture solves the problem associatedwith a lack of volume in mobile devices to accommodate antenna arraysneeded to implement more traditional beam steering hardware.

While the original design and implementations for modal antennas wasfocused toward internal or embedded antenna designs to provide anantenna system capable of implementing a beam steering function in asmall form factor mobile device, such as a cell phone or laptop, thismodal antenna technique can now be implemented in access points andclient devices in WLAN systems and used to improve communication linkperformance for these networks. On the access point side of the link,when multi-user operation is required, the capability of optimizing theradiation pattern of the antennas in the access point will be animportant factor for optimizing link performance. Compared to a passiveantenna used with an access point, the modal antenna can provideimproved antenna gain performance in the direction of multiple clients.The small volume of the total modal antenna structure makes for easyintegration in devices making a MIMO implementation feasible in a smallform factor.

SUMMARY

The following disclosure concerns an antenna system comprised ofmultiple modal antennas in an external configuration each providing abeam steering capability applicable to a wide variety of communicationsystems such as access points, video streaming devices, and routers.Implementation of this antenna system will result in a reduction in thenumber of external antenna assemblies required, an increase in thenumber of available radiation patterns or modes, and the capability todynamically optimize a multi-external antenna system for specificenvironments. This novel communication system optimizes the antennasystem for SISO, MIMO, and beam forming systems. Use of this newtechnique can result in increased communication range due to an abilityto dynamically change the direction of peak gain of the antenna. Anincrease in throughput is realized due to an increased signal tointerference plus noise ratio (SINR) resulting from an optimizedantenna.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point having aplurality of external modal antenna assemblies, each

FIG. 1B shows one modal antenna assembly including a plurality of modalantennas, wherein each of the modal antennas is configurable in one of aplurality of possible antenna modes.

FIG. 1C shows a modal antenna system configured to receive an RF signaland a signal metric from baseband, the RF signal is communicated througha transceiver and a plurality of modal antennas, whereas the signalmetric is sampled by an application processor wherein an algorithm isimplemented to determine a mode of the modal antennas and controlsignals are sent for configuring the modal antennas in the respectivemodes.

FIG. 2 shows an example internal configuration which is implemented ineach of the external antenna assemblies; including, for each modalantenna therein, an antenna element, a parasitic element coupled to anRF integrated circuit (RFIC), and RF and digital control lines.

FIG. 3A illustrates an access point with a single external enclosurecontaining two beam steering antennas can be used to replace twoexternal enclosures which contain passive antennas.

FIG. 3B shows an external antenna module having a first modal antennaand a second modal antenna within an enclosure.

FIG. 3C illustrates an access point with two external antenna modulescontaining modal antennas can be used to replace an access point withfour passive antennas.

FIG. 4A illustrates modal beam steering antennas in the enclosuresconnected to an access point can be operating at the same frequency,here 2.4 GHz;

FIG. 4B shows modal beam steering antennas integrated in the externalenclosures can operate at two frequency bands, for example 2.4 GHz and5.0 GHz, with some beam steering antennas dedicated to each frequencyband.

FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration where two external enclosurescontaining modal beam steering antennas are positioned external to anaccess point or other communication device, and a parasitic assemblycontaining additional parasitic elements is positioned between the twoexternal enclosures containing modal beam steering antennas.

FIG. 6 illustrates the concept of changing the shape of the radiationpatterns of the beam steering antennas by connecting or disconnectingthe parasitic elements in the parasitic assembly positionedtherebetween.

FIG. 7A illustrates an access point with three external enclosures eachcontaining a single passive antenna.

FIG. 7B shows the antenna gain for each of the three passive antennas ofFIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C shows a heat map illustrating low gain regions associated withthe system of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thateach contains a modal beam steering antenna.

FIG. 8B shows the antenna gain for each of the three modal beam steeringantennas of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C shows a heat map illustrating low gain regions associated withthe system of FIG. 7A are improved with the use of the beam steeringmodal antennas of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain modal beam steering antennas; here it is shown that thedifferent antennas produce different interference patterns withreflected signals from obstructions.

FIG. 10 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain modal beam steering antennas, the beam steering antennas canimprove isolation, correlation, or both, when external enclosures aremisaligned.

FIG. 11 illustrates the concept of integrating orientation sensors atthe joint or connection where the external enclosure is attached to theaccess point.

FIG. 12 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thateach contain modal beam steering antennas; the frequency band foroperation, as well as antenna mode selection, can be chosen based onnetwork load balancing.

FIG. 13 illustrates the concept of integrating orientation sensors atthe joint or connection where the external enclosure is attached to theaccess point, and associating an optimal antenna mode for each modalbeam steering antenna based on angle of orientation of the externalenclosures.

FIG. 14 illustrates the process of the algorithm controlling the modalbeam steering antenna system and sampling the modes for specificexternal enclosure configurations.

FIG. 15 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain modal beam steering antennas, certain antenna modes areeliminated if poor isolation characteristics as a function of rotationangle of the enclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A beam steering antenna system and methodology in an externalconfiguration for is described for use in communication systems. Thetechniques disclosed herein provide additional antenna radiationpatterns or modes compared to traditional external passive antennas, andmore importantly provides the capability of dynamically adjusting theantenna system for optimal performance in terms of optimizing theantenna radiation patterns for the specific multi-path environment.Multiple beam steering antenna systems can be integrated into a singleexternal cover and the multiple beam steering antenna systems in asingle cover can be designed to cover different frequency bands. Analgorithm is implemented in a processor to control antenna system beamstate functionality, with the processor and algorithm residing at theantenna structure embedded in the external cover. The technique can besynchronized with digital beam forming or other Baseband initiatedroutines used to improve antenna system performance when multipleantennas are grouped or arrayed to provide a more directive radiationpattern for individual or groups of clients. The beam steering antennatechnique will in effect improve the gain characteristics for eachantenna in the system with this improvement applicable to MIMO operationas well as digital beam forming operation.

In one embodiment of this invention, two beam steering antenna systemsare integrated into a single external cover or radome. The beam steeringantennas operate at the same frequency band. The beam steering antennascan be aligned in a linear fashion with coaxial transmission lines anddigital control lines routing to a common connection location. Thissingle external cover containing two beam steering antennas can replacea two external cover configuration containing two passive antennas.Additionally the two beam steering antennas, where each beam steeringantenna is capable of generating N radiation modes, can generate 2×Nmodes compared to the single passive radiation mode from the two passiveantennas. When integrated with an algorithm the optimal radiation modecan be selected for each antenna to improve communication linkperformance, with the algorithm using a metric from the basebandprocessor to implement a sampling routine to determine optimal modeselection.

In another embodiment of this invention a single external cover cancontain three or more beam steering antennas which can be used toreplace three or more external covers with passive antennas.

In another embodiment of this invention a single external cover cancontain a 2.4 GHz beam steering antenna and a 5 GHz beam steeringantenna to provide dual frequency capability where multiple radiationmodes can be generated at both frequency bands.

In yet another embodiment of this invention a single external cover cancontain two beam steering antennas with these two beam steering antennasoperating at the same frequency band. A second external cover ispositioned in the vicinity of the first external cover, with this secondexternal cover containing two parasitic elements with multi-port switch.The two parasitic elements are predominantly linear and separated by asmall gap. The switch is configured to connect or disconnect the twoparasitic elements to provide a capability of dynamically connecting ordisconnecting the parasitic elements. Altering the length of theparasitic element in the second external cover will alter the radiationpatterns from the beam steering antennas in the first external coverwhen the parasitic element is coupled sufficiently to the beam steeringantennas and/or positioned in an optimal location to reflect theradiated signal from the antenna.

In another embodiment of this invention more than two parasitic elementscan be positioned in an external cover previously described along withtwo or more switches configured to connect or disconnect the multipleparasitic elements. With this second external cover positioned in thevicinity of a first external cover containing multiple beam steeringantennas parasitic elements can be aligned with each beam steeringantenna in the first external cover and used to alter the radiationpatterns.

In another embodiment of this invention more than two parasitic elementscan be positioned in an external cover termed the second external coverpreviously described along with two or more switches configured toconnect or disconnect the multiple parasitic elements. A first and thirdexternal cover can be positioned in the vicinity of this second externalcover with the first and third external covers containing one ormultiple beam steering antennas. Parasitic elements in the secondexternal cover can be aligned with one or multiple beam steeringantennas in the first and third external covers and used to alter theradiation patterns. The parasitic elements can also be adjusted to alterisolation and/or envelope correlation between pairs of beam steeringantennas and the modes generated from said antennas.

In another embodiment of this invention a method of determining anglerotation can be implemented at the connection where the external covercontaining one or multiple beam steering antennas connects to the accesspoint or communication device. This device or method to discern angle ofrotation can be used to determine position and orientation of theexternal cover, with this information used in the algorithm controllingthe beam steering antenna to converge to an optimal mode selection morequickly. Measurements during antenna system development can be used todesignate beam steering antenna modes that will fail to meet systemlevel requirements such as isolation, and these modes can be eliminatedfrom potential selection for specific range of angles.

In all of the previously described embodiments an algorithm can beimplemented with the beam steering antennas to survey a metric from thebaseband processor and select the optimal radiation mode of each beamsteering antenna in the external covers. The algorithm will select themode that works best for the propagation channel, and with a low latencymetric from baseband this dynamic mode selection can take into accountpositioning of the external covers. As an access point is positioned indifferent rooms or locations within a room the external antennas can beangled or positioned to accommodate a specific volume allocated for theaccess point. Alternately, with the beam steering antennas and algorithmproviding dynamic selection and optimization of radiation modes, anaccess point design can be implemented where the external covers arefixed. By fixing the external covers to the access point such that theycannot be rotated or moved the likelihood of degrading antenna systemperformance by reducing antenna to antenna isolation or envelopecorrelation can be eliminated.

Now turning to the drawings, FIGS. 1(A-C) illustrate a wireless localarea network (WLAN) access point 201 where three external enclosures 101a; 101 b; and 101 c are implemented. The access point 201 includes aplurality of connection points 202 a; 202 b; and 202 c, wherein theexternal enclosures are connected to the access point at the connectionpoints via transmission lines 102 a; 102 b; and 102 c, therebetween.

In each external enclosure 101 are three modal antennas 103 a; 103 b;and 103 c, as shown in FIG. 1B. The modal antennas are each capable ofgenerating a plurality of radiation pattern modes, wherein the modalantenna is configurable in one of the plurality of modes, and theantenna is configured with a distinct radiation pattern when configuredin each of the plurality of modes. The modal antennas 103(a-c) receiveRF signals 104(a-c) and control signals 105(a-c) from the transceiverand circuitry to communicate with the network.

A block diagram is shown in FIG. 1C where a transceiver 204 is connectedto the three modal antennas 103(a-c), respectively. A baseband unit 203and application processor 205 are shown and an algorithm 206 isintegrated into the application processor, with this algorithm used tocontrol the beam selection of the modal antennas. Here, basebandprovides an RF signal to the transceiver and antennas, whereas theapplication processor is configured to receive a signal metric, such asa channel quality indiator (CQI), for processing with the algorithm todetermine an optimal mode for each of the antennas. Upon determining theoptimal mode, control signals are sent via transmission lines 105 to themodal antennas, wherein an RF integrated circuit is used to configurethe modal antenna in the selected mode.

FIG. 2 illustrates the components used to configure a modal or beamsteering antenna that is used to populate the external enclosure 101. Anantenna element 111, parasitic element 113, reference ground 107, RFIC112, and RF and digital control lines 104 and 105, respectively, areshown.

FIG. 3A illustrates the concept where an access point 201 with a singleexternal enclosure 101 containing two beam steering antennas can be usedto replace an access point 201 with two external enclosures 10 a; 10 bwhich contain passive antennas.

FIG. 3B shows an external antenna module 101 having a first modalantenna 103 a and a second modal antenna 103 b within an enclosure 101.The modal antennas each receive RF signals through a corresponding RFtransmission line 104 a; 104 b, and control signals from correspondingcontrol transmission lines 105 a; 105 b.

FIG. 3C illustrates an access point 201 with two external antennamodules 101 a; 101 b containing modal antennas can be used to replace anaccess point 201 with four passive antennas 10 a; 10 b; 10 c; and 10 d.

FIG. 4A shows an access point 201 with external antenna modules, whereall beam steering antennas in the external antenna modules are connectedto an access point can be operating at the same frequency, here 2.4 GHz.

FIG. 4B shows an access point 201 with the beam steering antennasintegrated in the external enclosures configured to operate at twofrequency bands, here 2. GHz and 5.0 GHz, with some beam steeringantennas dedicated to each frequency band.

FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration where two external enclosures 101 a;101 b containing beam steering antennas 103(a-f) are positioned externalto an access point 201 or other communication device. A third externalenclosure, termed a “parasitic element assembly 121”, is positionedbetween the first two external enclosures 101 a; 101 b, with theparasitic element assembly containing multiple parasitic elements 120 a;120 b; and 120 c. Switches are positioned between the parasitic elementsto provide the capability to connect or disconnect the individualelements.

FIG. 6 illustrates an access point configured to change the shape of theradiation patterns of the beam steering antennas by connecting ordisconnecting the parasitic elements of the parasitic element assemblydisposed therebetween. The parasitic element assembly 121 providesadditional degrees of optimization of antenna modes associated with themodal beam steering antennas in modules 101 a and 101 b. The modal beamsteering antennas, and parasitic elements, are configured to provide aplurality of possible antenna modes. In addition, isolation can bealtered between modules 101 a and 101 b using the parasitic elementassembly. Radiation patterns 130(a-f); and 131(a-f) associated withvarious modes of the modal beam steering antennas are shown.

FIG. 7A illustrates an access point 201 with three external enclosures10(a-c) that contain a single passive antenna each. A wall orobstruction 100 is shown in the vicinity of the access point 201.Distances of separation D1; D2; and D3 are shown corresponding betweeneach of the enclosures and the obstruction.

An antenna gain plot as a function of wavelength separation between theantenna element and the wall or obstruction is shown in FIG. 7B. Theantenna gain varies in magnitude as a function of separation distancefrom the obstruction.

Also shown in FIG. 7C is a composite radiation pattern displayed in twodimensions where gain as a function of azimuth and elevation angle isdisplayed. The location of the wall or obstruction is shown on the gainplot and low gain regions caused by interactions of the direct radiatedsignal and reflections off of the wall are highlighted.

FIG. 8A illustrates an access point 201 with three external enclosures101(a-c) that each contain beam steering antennas. A wall or obstruction100 is shown in the vicinity of the access point 201.

An antenna gain plot as a function of wavelength separation between theantenna element and the wall or obstruction is shown in FIG. 8B. Theantenna gain varies in magnitude as a function of separation distancefrom the obstruction.

Also shown in FIG. 8c is a composite radiation pattern displayed in twodimensions where gain as a function of azimuth and elevation angle isdisplayed. The location of the wall or obstruction is shown on the gainplot and regions where low gain had been observed when passive antennaswere used are shown to have higher gain due to the higher gain providedby the composite radiation pattern.

FIG. 9 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain beam steering antennas. Beam steering antennas tuned for the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands are shown. A wall or obstruction is shown in thevicinity of the access point. Two antenna gain plots are shown wheregain as a function of wavelength separation between the antenna elementand the wall or obstruction is shown at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Theantenna gain varies in magnitude as a function of separation distancefrom the obstruction and varies as a function of frequency.

FIG. 10 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain beam steering antennas. Two of the external enclosures arerotated such that they touch which will typically decrease isolationbetween antennas. The beam steering antennas integrated into theexternal enclosures provide the capability to dynamically compensate fordegraded isolation and/or correlation when external enclosures areimproperly positioned.

FIG. 11 illustrates the concept of integrating orientation sensors atthe joint or connection where the external enclosure is attached to theaccess point. The orientation of the external enclosures can bedetermined by the sensors and this information can be used to eliminateradiation modes for sampling by the algorithm based on priormeasurements and characterization.

FIG. 12 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain beam steering antennas. Beam steering antennas at two frequencybands are integrated into the external enclosures. For WLAN applicationsat 2.4 and 5 GHz the frequency band of operation as well as radiationmode selection can be chosen based on network load balancing.

FIG. 13 illustrates the concept of integrating orientation sensors atthe joint or connection where the external enclosure is attached to theaccess point. The orientation of the external enclosures can bedetermined by the sensors and this information can be used to eliminateradiation modes for sampling by the algorithm based on priormeasurements and characterization.

FIG. 14 illustrates the process of the algorithm controlling the beamsteering antenna system and sampling the modes for specific externalenclosure configurations. For a specific enclosure configuration themodes are sampled and a set of optimal modes are determined and used bythe beam steering antennas to optimize the communication link.Orientation sensors are not included in this configuration.

FIG. 15 illustrates an access point with three external enclosures thatcontain beam steering antennas. Two of the external enclosures arerotated such that they touch which will typically decrease isolationbetween antennas. The beam steering antennas integrated into theexternal enclosures provide the capability to dynamically compensate fordegraded isolation and/or correlation when external enclosures areimproperly positioned. Orientation sensors associated with each externalenclosure. Antenna mode set determined during development selected topopulate a preferred mode table for sampling. Modes eliminated fromconsideration due to poor isolation characteristics as a function ofrotation angle.

Thus, in certain embodiments is provided:

a communication system comprising: a predominantly RF transparentenclosure that is positioned external to a communication system whereinthe enclosure can be rotated in one or multiple planes and/or extendedor contracted in length, or moved to a second location in relation tothe communication system; the communication system is configured with abaseband unit and a transceiver, with said transceiver containing one ormultiple transmit/receive ports; internal to the predominantly RFtransparent enclosure is one or multiple antennas wherein each antennais a modal antenna with said modal antenna capable of generatingmultiple radiation patterns, with the radiation patterns referred to asradiation modes, and with each radiation mode being different from theother radiation modes; each modal antenna is connected to thetransceiver, with one antenna connected to each transmit/receive port; aprocessor containing an algorithm; the algorithm resident in theprocessor is configured to survey one or multiple metrics from thebaseband unit and uses the one or multiple metrics to select theradiation mode of the modal antenna for a preferred communication linkcharacteristic between the communication system and other devices, asthe external enclosure is moved, rotated, or re-positioned the algorithmselects the optimal mode for the modal antennas in the enclosure.

In some embodiments, a second predominantly RF transparent enclosure ispositioned external to a communication system, with this second externalenclosure positioned in the vicinity of the first external enclosure,internal to this second predominantly RF transparent enclosure is one ormultiple antennas wherein each antenna is a modal antenna with saidmodal antenna capable of generating multiple radiation patterns, withthe radiation patterns referred to as radiation modes, and with eachradiation mode being different from the other radiation modes; eachmodal antenna in this second external enclosure connected to thetransceiver, with one antenna connected to each transmit/receive port,the algorithm is used to select optimal mode selection for all modalantennas in the two external enclosures.

In some embodiments, three or more predominantly RF transparentenclosures are positioned external to a communication system, with thesethree or more external enclosures positioned in the vicinity of thefirst and second external enclosures, internal to these three or morepredominantly RF transparent enclosures are one or multiple antennaswherein each antenna is a modal antenna with said modal antenna capableof generating multiple radiation patterns, with the radiation patternsreferred to as radiation modes, and with each radiation mode beingdifferent from the other radiation modes; each modal antenna in thesethree or more external enclosures is connected to the transceiver, withone antenna connected to each transmit/receive port, the algorithm isused to select optimal mode selection for all modal antennas in thethree or more external enclosures.

In some embodiments, one or more of the antennas in the predominantly RFtransparent enclosure is not a modal antenna.

In some embodiments, when more than one antenna is present the two ormore antennas are operating at the same frequency band.

In some embodiments, when more than one antenna is present the two ormore antennas are operating at two or more frequency bands with at leastone antenna operating at a first frequency band and at least one antennaoperating at a second frequency band.

In some embodiments, the predominantly RF external enclosures are fixedin position.

In some embodiments, a third predominantly RF transparent enclosure ispositioned between the first and second enclosures, this third externalenclosure is positioned in the vicinity of the first and second externalenclosure, with this third external enclosure containing two conductorsand a switch, the two conductors are predominantly linear and separatedby a small gap, the switch is configured to connect or disconnect thetwo conductors to provide a capability of dynamically connecting ordisconnecting the conductors, altering the length of the conductors inthe third external enclosure will alter the radiation patterns from themodal antennas in the first and second external enclosures when theconductors are coupled sufficiently to the modal antennas and/orpositioned in an optimal location to reflect the radiated signal fromthe antenna.

In some embodiments, more than two conductors are integrated internal tothe external enclosure, two or more switches are used to provide acapability to connect and/or disconnect the conductors. In otherembodiments, one or multiple conductors are not predominantly linear inextent.

In some embodiments, one or multiple antennas are operating at a firstfrequency band and one or more antennas are operating at a secondfrequency band.

In some embodiments, an initialization routine is implemented by the enduser of the communication system where a communication link isestablished between the communication system and a second communicationdevice; the communication system is positioned within the region, room,building, home, or outdoor location that the system is intended tooperate in; the second communication device is positioned at a locationwithin the region that communication is desired or required; for aninitial orientation or position of the external enclosure or enclosuresthe communication link is established and a metric which provides anindication of communication link quality is measured and denoted; asecond and multiple external enclosure orientations and/or positions arenext implemented and the link metric is measured and denoted; the secondcommunication device can be moved to additional locations wherecommunication is desired and the measurement process repeated wherecommunication link metrics are recorded for multiple external enclosureorientations and/or positions; the communication link metrics perexternal enclosure orientation or positions is reviewed and the optimalorientations or positions are chosen for the external enclosures tooptimize communication link performance.

In some embodiments, a method of discerning rotation angle of the jointor connection that attaches the predominantly RF transparent enclosureto the communication device; the rotation angle from this method is usedto designate radiation modes to check to determine optimal communicationsystem performance and to designate radiation modes to ignore based onprior measurements or analysis.

In some embodiments, a feature is implemented in the algorithm tomonitor communication link performance between the communication systemand a communication device or devices to determine which frequency bandprovides the better communication link performance.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A WiFi access point, comprising: an externalantenna module, the external antenna module having an external cover,the external antenna module comprising a first multi-mode antenna and asecond multi-mode antenna, the first multi-mode antenna be configured tooperate at a first frequency, the second multi-mode antenna beconfigured to operate at a second frequency, the first frequency beingdifferent from the second frequency; the first multi-mode antennaconfigurable in one of a plurality of radiation pattern modes, whereineach radiation pattern mode is associated with a distinct radiationpattern; the second multi-mode antenna configurable in one of aplurality of radiation pattern modes, wherein each radiation patternmode is associated with a distinct radiation pattern; a processorconfigured to determine a rotation angle of the external antenna module,wherein the processor is operable to configure each of the firstmulti-mode antenna and the second multi-mode antenna in the externalantenna module based at least in part on the rotation angle of theexternal antenna module.
 17. The WiFi access point of claim 16, whereinthe first frequency is 2.4 GHz and the second frequency is 5.0 GHz. 18.The WiFi access point of claim 16, wherein the first multi-mode antennais configurable in a plurality of radiation pattern modes for the firstfrequency and the second multi-mode antenna is configurable in aplurality of radiation pattern modes for the second frequency.
 19. TheWiFi access point of claim 16, wherein the processor is operable tosurvey a metric from a baseband process and select a radiation patternmode for each of the first multi-mode antenna and the second multi-modeantenna based at least in part on the metric.
 20. The WiFi access pointof claim 16, wherein each of the first multi-mode antenna and the secondmulti-mode antenna comprise: a radiating antenna element; a parasiticelement; and a reference ground.
 21. The WiFi access point of claim 16,wherein the WiFi access point comprises a second external antennamodule.
 22. The WiFi access point of claim 21, wherein the secondexternal antenna module has an external cover, the second externalantenna module comprises a third multi-mode antenna and a fourthmulti-mode antenna, the third multi-mode antenna be configured tooperate at the first frequency, the fourth multi-mode antenna beconfigured to operate at the second frequency; the third multi-modeantenna configurable in one of a plurality of radiation pattern modes,wherein each radiation pattern mode is associated with a distinctradiation pattern; the fourth multi-mode antenna configurable in one ofa plurality of radiation pattern modes, wherein each radiation patternmode is associated with a distinct radiation pattern; a processorconfigured to determine a rotation angle of the second external antennamodule, wherein the processor is operable to configure each of the thirdmulti-mode antenna and the fourth multi-mode antenna in the externalantenna module based at least in part on the rotation angle of thesecond external antenna module.
 23. The WiFi access point of claim 22,wherein each of the third multi-mode antenna and the fourth multi-modeantenna comprise: a radiating antenna element; a parasitic element; anda reference ground.